For a first time author this book is mostly very good. A closed room situation, where a group of people are trapped on an underground train at night, when there is a power cut in London. The book is told from different viewpoints, though the main narrator is Jess, an ex DI who takes charge of the situation. Where the book fell down for me me was the middle section when the wait is long and there is little action, saying that you do feel the irritations between the passengers and the frustration at a situation they cannot do anything about. The action does pick up later though and the descriptions of people and location are excellent, so you definately understand the dated trains, stations and tunnels of the Bakerloo line, the darkness and vermin. I thought that the driver cab was not accessible and would be suprised if these people were the only occupants of the tube train .
The murder plot is quite intricate and the clues are there, but I only came to understand this as I was finishing the book. I did feel the life descriptions added to understanding motives and how individuals are seen by the rest of the group, but perhaps that needs to be shorter because it slowed the pace of the book down too much in my opinion.
All in all a good read, thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

Fiesty, fast paced, and compulsive!!! I loved this book (and read it on the tube... terrifying addition to my morning commute), and have reccomended to several friends. This kept me guessing in a wonderfully twisted way.

liked the premise of this book, but I lost interest about half way through. Unfortunately it just didn't flow for me.
The end felt a bit rushed and although I didn't guess whodunit I found it unlikely.
Sorry just not for me
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC copy

Stephanie Steel’s debut novel, The Train from Platform 2, is a gripping locked-room thriller that plunges readers into the claustrophobic depths of the London Underground. Former Detective Inspector Jess boards a routine train home, only to find herself trapped in darkness after an abrupt stop. The tension escalates when she discovers the driver brutally murdered, realizing that the killer is among the passengers. Steel masterfully crafts a suspenseful narrative, with each commuter hiding secrets and suspicions mounting. The novel’s fast pace makes it an engaging read for fans of crime thrillers.

A bit slow starting and took me a while to get through it but was great in the end. Would have been better if it was a fast paced book

You don't get on an underground train expecting to have it come to an abrupt stop, descend into pitch darkness, and lead to the discovery that the driver has been brutally (and very recently) stabbed to death.

But that is exactly what happens to former police officer Jess. So, it's just as well that she is better placed than most to hunt down a ruthless killer under subpar circumstances...

This is a gripping read, and highly entertaining. Worth checking out if you like thrillers. It gets 3.5 stars.

Claustrophobic and twisty, with plenty going on this was an entertaining read, although I did find the continual doubt and self-deprecation of the protagonist a tad too annoying.

I loathe travel so the idea of being trapped completely freaked me out. I think if he the book was good but did go round in circles whiles the train stayed still. Even so it was a good book and entertained from start to finish

This is a real “trust no one” book. Told from multiple points of view. I found this book gripping and could not put it down. All the characters were believable, and I genuinely didn't guess who did it! I am looking forward to reading more from this author

This book started out so well. I loved the premise of a “locked room” mystery that takes place on – wait for it – the London tube. How interesting and different. I loved the characters – teenagers, an influencer, an ex-detective now a stay-at-home mum, etc. All unique and all hiding secrets of some sort. It certainly had the promise of an entertaining and enjoyable book.

The story has several points of view, which maintained my interest. But, the story began to slow down and the plot became involved in continually rehashing the questions about the crime, possible motives, and various suppositions about the characters. it became repetitive and tedious. It was redeemed somewhat by the ending, but the epilogue neatly tied everything up. However it seemed to be a bit too tidy and final. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

Loved this book! Very suspenseful story. Lots of twists and turns right up to the very end.
I highly recommend it.

A well thought out’ who dun it’ with an original location. It’ had the right amount of claustrophobic vibes and kept me interested and wanting to know the killer. It did flag a bit in places and I never felt as much tension as I’m sure the plot should have warrented. When I think back on it all I don’t think the passengers were any where near as worried as I would have been. So not fantastic but a jolly good read.

The idea of being stuck on a train and a tragedy occurring is so scary so this immediately heightened the intensity and made it a very captivating read for me.

Stephanie Steel’s The Train from Platform 2 is a gripping, high-stakes thriller that turns an ordinary commute into a terrifying nightmare. Former DI Jess finds herself trapped underground with no escape, a growing body count, and a killer lurking in the shadows.

The tension is relentless, and Steel builds suspense with eerie atmosphere and unpredictable twists. While some moments stretch believability, the fast-paced action and gripping mystery make up for it.

This locked-in thriller will keep your heart pounding until the shocking finale!

A thrilling read. I really enjoyed this book. Read it over the course of two sittings as I couldn’t put it down. 4.5 stars

This story had me engaged from the start.
There was a mix of characters and I was guessing right the way through.
I liked that we were told some of the character background stories and that we were told what happened to all the characters.. The plot moved along at a good pace and kept me interested until the end.

I was intrigued by how this would play out after reading the blurb, so I just had to read it.

A group of random people are on the night tube train when it suddenly stops. A murdered train driver, the wires have been cut, and there is no way to call for help.

This is a character led read. I liked how it shared the backstory of each of them and how loosely they were connected to each other. I had absolutely no idea who the murderer was until the reveal.

The Bakerloo line London underground train does leave platform 2 towards Baker Street around midnight but then there is a power cut which stops this tube train in it’s tracks. This is just the beginning of the terror that unfolds.

This thriller centres around 8 passengers in the one carriage of this tube train. The lead character is Jess and she is making it her own business to discover who maybe a “problem passenger” amongst them. Could the bad guy be Amelia, Chloe, Isa, Jenna, Liam, Saul, Scot or even Jess herself?

I enjoyed reading this character driven thriller. Stephanie builds all her characters up with attitude and hints of a dark side plus the possibility of them being economical with the truth. The feel is claustrophobic and Stephanie describes excellently the anxiety passengers feel when they do not know what is going on and when their tube will start moving again. How long should you wait before you begin to worry?

I liked how the feelings, worries and vast range of possibilities were explored. I think this would make a good television drama, not a series but an hour long special. The time frame of this novel is just the one night but enough to make an hour of television.

So, over the length of this novel the reader gets to know fully the character and back stories to each of these 8 passengers. This can be frustrating for readers who want some action, rather than read about the life stories of these strangers before the tube starts moving again. However, one of these people is a “problem passenger” and I did not guess the “awkward customer”.

The Train from Platform 2 is a debut novel and quite a good one at that. I think it is a GOOD 4 star read. What let this book down a little for me was Stephanie’s writing style, which is typical for how many women talk among themselves. I am not quoting from this book but it can be along the lines of … Time rolls on with no information coming forward, Amelia, Chloe, Isa, Jenna and Jess sat alongside each other when she asked about something.,, I and a lot of men will wonder who the devil is ”she” as there are 5 possible candidates. Having been married for 33 years, I understand this is how women talk among themselves but it will always leave men in the dark when trying to keep up with a story.

The Train From Platform 2 is a crime thriller that follows Jess and her fellow passengers on an ill fated tube ride. The former DI quickly takes charge, but when bodies start being uncovered, she quickly needs to work out who she can trust and solve the mystery of who the killer is.

This is a real “trust no one” book.
I loved the fact it was told from so multiple points of view and that we really did get to know all the passengers and their secrets. The characters were developed really well and the short chapters had me so engaged and turning those pages fast! This kept me on my toes and I didn’t know who it was until fairly near the end.

Really enjoyed it. A solid 4*

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for my advanced copy.

My favourite part about “The Train From Platform 2” was the beginning. Even though I knew the synopsis and knew the characters will be stuck on a train, it still intrigued me. Jess is our main character and as a former Detective Inspector, the one most capable of taking control of the situation. But aside from Jess, we meet the other characters from the carriage as well, all interesting and mysterious in their own way. Knowing that the murderer is among them, everyone is suspicious of each other, and everyone is hiding secrets. I could feel the tension in that carriage oozing through the pages.

Unfortunately, this is where the tension and thriller elements left the chat.

What followed was plenty of conversations between everyone that didn’t reveal anything new, and this theme followed to the very end. It’s quite disappointing in books like these, where you quickly realise that the people stuck at the murder scene don’t know each other, and the motive for murder is a hidden one. And you cannot get any hints because every single character is lying. It was hard for me as the reader, to try and predict anything. 

At the end, I thought maybe we will get more action when people split into groups and one group chose to leave the train and walk to the next platform, but I was wrong. Sure, something did happen, in a very unsurprising way, and the next thing we know is we have a culprit. And we find out that the reason “why” wasn’t even mentioned in the book (please let me know in case there is a hint I have missed). It’s a secret the character kept. On top of that, the circumstances of the murder were completely left to chance and almost all stars aligned that day for the murderer to get such an opportunity. I am sure the chances of this happening is less likely than winning the lottery. With chances that slim, this book was way too unbelievable for my taste. 

Apart from the murder issues, I have to admit that I really liked the characters.

Each with a unique story that makes you suspicious of them, and each with their own beliefs, experiences, and secrets - purposely made so that opinions clash in that carriage. They are all hiding something and looking out for themselves. The book touched on a lot of important topics and how people have unconscious biases. I just wish there was a bit more to the plot, as the book started off so well.

Overall, I’d still recommend it if you like locked-room mysteries and good characters. But it sounds very believable when you’re reading it. I enjoyed that we were finding out clues at the same time that Amanda was. Some of the reveals were a bit predictable. With the ending, I wasn’t surprised by how it ended, and it was slightly deflating. But the aftermath made up for it, so it was quite satisfying after all. I would definitely recommend this book to any murder mystery fan.